Selector terminal bank



' Filed Sept. 16

. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 29, 14. G. DEAKIN SELECTOR' TERMINAL BANK Filed sept. 1e, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR GERALD DEAKI N Patented Aug. 20, 1946 SELECTOR TERMINAL BANK Gerald Deakin, New York, N. Y., assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application September 16, V1944, Serial No. 554,387

7 Claims.

Thisinvention relates to new and useful improvements in selector terminal banks and, more particularly, to an arrangement for connecting a cable with the multiple bank of a selector,

According to the present invention, the individual wires of a cable are attached to means adapted detachably to be connected with selector terminals normally cooperating with selector wipers. Thus, the necessity of providing soldered connections between the cable and the selector terminal bank or a distributing frame is avoided. Said means are preferably in the form of jacks which can be attached to the cable wires in the factory and then simply pushed into yengagements with the terminals of one of the selector units.

The characteristic features of the invention will be described as applied to the automatic telephone selectors and banks of the general type disclosed in my co-pending applications, Serial No. 525,853, led March 10, 1944, and Serial No. 547,126, led July 29, 1944. It will, however, be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is readily applicable to other kinds of selector and bank structures.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a, selector assembly with the end wall of one compartment removed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional' View along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1, but on a smaller scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the selector assembly with parts of the side walls broken away;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along lines 4 4 of Fig. 3, but on a smaller scale; and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a cable connector.

Six selectors are assembled in a unit and each selector is mounted within an oblong compartment closed on five sides and open on one side. Each compartment has a top closure I, side walls at 2 and 3, and end walls at 4 and 5. The bottom of each compartment is open. Each compartment contains a set of wipers diagrammatically indicated at 6 and means for moving said Wipers back and forth in a horizontal plane in cooperation with terminals, the construction and arrangement of which will be presently described. Operating means for the wipers is diagrammatically indicated at 'I The terminals projecting through the bottom of each compartment consist of two sets of four wires as indicated by reference numerals 8 and 9 in Fig. 2. Each individual selector has banks of terminals aligned with 8 and 9, the wiper cooperating with one set, e. g., 8, when moved in one direction and with the other set 9 during the return movement. These terminals are provided in the form of lengths of wire, one of which has been numbered II) in Fig. 2, extending from one compartment into the opposite compartment. The wires forming a row of forty-eight terminals in all the six compartments are held in the side bars of a frame II of plastic insulating material. The Wires are freely accessible through the center opening of the frame where they are connected in multiple by means of transverse wires indicated at I2. The latter are embedded in the end bars of the frame in a plane adjacent that of the terminal wires I0. The wires I2 are soldered, welded, or otherwise connected, only to certain terminals I0 as indicated at I3. The wires I2 continue to the next selector assembly where they are suitably multipled to the terminal wires. e

'IB into this compartment. The end wall I'I of this compartment is somewhat dilferent from d to accommodate the cable I6 in lieu of the operating means 1 of selector wipers. The opposite end wall is I I'. The cable is tied to a wooden block I8 mounted on a platform I9 projecting from the selector frame.

The individual wires of the cable are soldered to tabs 2U of jacks 2I before the cable is put in place. Eight such jacks arranged in two groups of four, corresponding to, and aligned with, the two groups of terminals 8 and 9, are assembled into a unit by means of an insulating sleeve 22. As many of these units are, of course, provided as there are rows of terminals within the selector compartment with which it is desired to connect the cable.

The ends of each jack are split into two tongs 23 and 24 (Fig. 5), the free ends of which flare out, as indicated at 25 and 26. The wide mouth formed between 25 and 26 may be readily placed over ther end of terminal I0 and then the jack pushed down on the terminal until it contacts with the insulated frame II from which the terminal projects. The inside surfaces of the forked ends 23 and 24 are so shaped 'as to tension the terminal Il! by slightly curving it and, thus, insure good contact and guard against accidental removal of the jack.

It will be readily seen from the above that the jack units may be soldered to the wires of the cable I6 before the cable is put in place and the cable connected with that portion of the multi.- pled bank which happens to be idle.

The cable may be connected with the multiple bank at any point where no selector need be provided without the necessity of soldering and unsoldering connections.

What I claim is:

l. In combination, a plurality of selectors, a multiple bank of terminals for said selectors, a set of wipers for each selector normally cooperating with said terminals, a cable, and means attached to wires of said cable removably con--V nectible to the same portion of the terminal bank with which normally wipers may cooperate.

2. In combination, a plurality of selectors, each having a set of movable wipers, a bank of; terminals for each selector unit with which its wipers normally cooperate, multiple connections between the terminals of the banks, a cable, and connectors attached to the wires of the cable adapted for detachable connection with the same portion of the terminals of any one of the banks with which normally wipersrnay cooperate.

3. In combination, a plurality of selectors, a multiple bank of terminals for each selector, each terminal being a resilient wire, a set of wipers for each selector normally cooperating with its bank, a cable, and jacks attached to the wires of the cable, each jack cooperating with the same portion of a terminal with which wipers may cooperate, and so shaped to bend it when in engagement therewith.

4. In combination, a plurality of selectors, a plurality of rows of terminals for each selector, multiple connections between the terminals of different selectors, a set of wipers for each selector normally cooperating with its terminals, a cable, and jack assemblies connected with the wires of the cable, each assembly comprising a row of jacks aligned, and cooperating with the same portion of a row of terminals with which normally wipers cooperate.

5. In a selector assembly, two groups of opposite movable selector Wipers, a plurality of parallel first wires extending between said groups of wipers, parallel second wires transverse to the first wires and having free ends projecting into cooperative relation with opposite wipers, connections between the rst and second wires, a cable, and means for detachably connecting the Wires of the cable with the second wires projecting into engagement with any one of said selector Wipers.

6. In a selector assembly, a selector frame divided into two groups of selector wipers opposite Vone another, a plurality of frames of insulating material mounted on the selector frame between the two groups of Wipers, a plurality of parallel iirst wires extending through each insulating frame, parallel second wires transverse to the rst wires of each frame and having free ends projecting into cooperative relation with opposite selector Wipers, connections within the space surrounded by each insulating frame between each rst wire of the frame and one of the second wires, a cable, a jack having contact points adapted to engage the second wires projecting into cooperative relationship with any selector, and a terminal for each contact connected with a Wire of said cable.

7. In a selector assembly, a selector frame divided into two groups of like compartments opposite one another, each compartment being enclosed on three sides and open on the fourth side opposite the compartment of the other group, a movable set of wipers in each compartment, a plurality of oblong frames of insulating material mounted in a pile upon the selector frame between the two groups of compartments, a plurality of parallel rst wires extending between the long sides oi each insulating frame and projecting through the short sides thereof, parallel second wires transverse to the rst wires and having free ends projecting through the long sides of each insulating frame into opposite compartments in cooperative relation with 'theset of Wipers therein, connections within the space surrounded by each insulating frame between each first wire oi the frame and one of the second wires of the same frame projecting into each compartment, a cable projecting `through a wall of one of said compartments, a jack having contact points adapted to engage all the second Wires projecting from a frame into a compartment, and a terminal for each contact connected with a wire of said cable.

GERALD DEAKIN. 

